Hanger



Dena 1, 1947. R. H. WEBSTER 2,432,957

HANGER Filed June 15, 1945 22 2 2'2. C I I INVENTOR. 0 20 Eussall H.WEEETEP ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 16, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to supports, and more particularly to readily portable hangers for suspending articles, as from a clothesline, hook or the like.

An important object of the invention is to provide a novel hanger to support one article out, more particularly a plurality of articles, which hanger may then be suspended from a support. A practical application of this novel device is in hanging clothes and other articles from a clothesline in windy or cold weather. With the use of this device, one article or a plurality of articles may be attached thereto, as in the house or washroom and then the device, with its load of articles, taken outdoors and the device quickly and se curely attached to a clothesline. By the employ ment of a sufficient number of the devices a large number of washed articles may be suspended from a clothesline in only a small portion of the time necessary to suspend the articles directly from the line by the use of conventional clothespins.

Another important object is to provide a device of this kind for suspending a plurality of articles in compact assembly, but in such a way that air and sun may reach them readily and air freely circulate between the various articles.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide a compact hanger to take the place of conventional clothespins, which, because of their smallness and shape, are often lost in removing them from a clothesline. The novel hanger may take the place of four clothespins, and it is so constructed and arranged that the capacity of the clothesline may be very materially increased by the use of the hanger, since the clothes and other articles are not strung out along the line but hang transversely of the line as well as parallel thereto and parallel one with another.

Because of its compactness, the new hanger may be employed where hanging space is limited or where support for articles as a line or bracket is relatively short, since the suspended articles may hang both transversely of and parallel to the line or bracket.

Another important object is to provide a novel adjustable hanger for suspending articles. Thus, the device may be adjusted as to the space it is to occupy or adjusted so as to hang articles or various lengths or widths, or draw them taut.

Although adjustable and readily manipulated to provide such adjustment, the hanger is sturdy, may be employed time and again, will not be damaged by the elements, get out of order nor tear the articles suspended therefrom.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the following detailed description of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and in which drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the novel hanger, with its article-supporting arms expanded from the body portion thereof.

Figure 2 is a vertical section thereof, with the arms partly contracted.

Figure 3 is an elevation of two of the arms, removed from the body portion of the hanger.

Figure 4 is a top plan of this body portion.

Figures 5 and 6 are diagrammatic showings of two different arrangements of articles suspended from the hanger,

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the novel hanger is shown as including an elongated body portion In, which is preferably cylindrical, having an upper face II which may be substantially fiat, with a bevelled area 12 surrounding the flat upper face ll. Opposite the face i I is a lower face I3, which may also be substantially fiat, with a bevelled area It surrounding the flat lower face IS. The bevelled area M joins the peripheral face l5 of the body portion ill and converges downwardly.

The body portion [El is provided with a suitable number of bores I6. In the example shown there are four such bores, equally spaced apart as may be seen in Figure 4. The longitudinal axis of each bore I6 forms an obtuse angle. That is there is, to each bore IE a preferably longer bore section I! with its longitudinal axis substantially paralleling the peripheral face 15 and opening into the upper face It, and a shorter bore section 18, joining the lower end of the bore section it and extending to the bevelled area It and not to the lower face 13, as may be seen in Figure 2. At the juncture of the bore sections H and I8 there is, preferably, a ridge or hump 19, formed of the face 2!! of the bore section 11 and face 21 of the bore section Hi, this ridge or hump being nearer the peripheral face 15 of the body portion H3 than the axial longitudinal center of the latter. The body portion I!) may be of suitable wood (a hardwood being found most suitable), or glass or some other suitable hardened plastic material.

Associated with this body portion IE is an assembly of suitable flexible or springy material. In the example shown, the assembly comprises two portions 29 of material, since each portion is so disposed that it extends into two bores [6, as will be subsequently described. Each portion 20 may be a length of wire, such as phosphor-bronze wire, having a, substantially circular transverse cross section of a diameter less than that of any of the bores l 6. In fact, the diameter of the wire may be half that of the bore, as may be seen in Figure 2.

In Figure 2, which illustrates the approximate shape of the length of the portion 23 before sections of it are inserted into the body portion H), the portion 28 includes a centrally-disposed bight section 2! which is preferably rather narrow, and two arcuate or curved arm sections 22, of substantially equal length, with their free ends 23 curving upwardly and outwardly. When these free ends 23 are drawn downwardly and toward each other, they may be inserted into the upper ends of two of the bores l6 and the arm sections 22 then caused to travel through these bores by downward pressure upon the bight section 2!, until the free ends 23 emerge from the mouths of two of the bore sections l whereupon the flexibility and shape of the portion 2!] and the direction of the bores l3 causes these ends 23 to radiate as may be seen in Figures 1 and 2.

Since, in the example shown, two portions 20 are required and the bight section 2| of one overlays the bight section 2i of the other, one portion 2% may be slightly longer than the other in order to give symmetry to the hanger. However, the hanger will function even if one arm section is longer than the other.

As may be seen in Figure 2, parts of the arm sections 22 frictionally engage portions of the faces of the bore sections El and I8, particularly along the bore section 5?, at the humps or ridges l9 and at the mouths of the bore sections Hi. This particular frictional contact enables a relatively heavy article to be supported from the free ends 23 in a depending position, without causing the portions 26 to slip. However, a slight downward pressure, or an upward pull, upon the bight sections 2! will enable the operator to adjust the portions 2:; with respect to the body portion IO.

Preferably, each free end 23 is provided with a means 25 to attach an article thereto. The means 25 may be a conventional spring clip, having a pair of jaw portions 25 and 27 pivoted together intermediate their ends, one portion having a finger piece 28, so that pressure thereupon will cause the jaws to open, and the other jaw portion 27 having an eye 25! into which a free end 23 may be inserted and turned over as at3fl to form a loop, of greater outer diameter than that of the diameter of the bore 16, whereby the portions 29 cannot then be pulled accidentally from the body portion it (since the bight sections 2! limit movement in one direction).

Means 35 to suspend the hanger from a suitable support be a conventional spring clip, having a pair of jaw portions 36 and. 31 held together in a closed-jaw position by a spring, 38, the portion 3'! having an eye 39 through which may extend a link id which is also looped about the bight sections 2!. The jaw portions 36 and 31 may, when closed, provide an eye M to extend about a suitable support, as a rod, clothesline or the like.

From the foregoing description it may be seen that the hanger carries a plurality of spaced apart clips of the means 25 so that not one, but a plurality of articles, may be attached thereto (as in a dwelling) and then the hanger, carrying its load of articles carried outdoors and quickly attached to a clothesline, simply by attaching the one clip of means 35 to the clothesline. From the diagrammatic showing of Figure 5 a rather long article A (which might require looping over a clothesline in order to prevent it touching the ground, or conventionally pinned alon a considerable section of the clothesline) may be suspended from four means 25 of the novel hanger so that it will occupy less than one-third of the length of clothesline occupied by the conventionally pinned article and air and sunshine will still reach all portions of the article. Figure 5 also illustrates how articles of various widths or lengths may be hung at their corners, since the springiness of the arms permits the arms to take various positions, but not to sag in an undesired way, for the support of the arms by the walls of the bores I 6, particularly at the lower mouths, supports the arms.

In Figure 6 there is a diagrammatic showing of four articles B, C, D and E, all of substantially the same width, clipped at their upper corners and stretched to dry, also with air and sun to reach both surfaces of each article. It is now obvious that because of the adjustability of the portions 20 with respect to the body portion H), that the articles carried by the hanger may be given more of a tautness, if desired for quicker drying and the like.

Various changes may be made to the form of the invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In an adjustable hanger, an elongated body portion provided with a pair of longitudinallyextending bores and a pair of bores, one of the latter loores joining one of said longitudinally-extending bores and the other of the latter bores joining the other of said longitudinally-extending bores, the longitudinal axis of each of the joining bores forming an obtuse angle, a curved length of springy wire extending through each joining bore, frictionally engaging portions of me faces thereof and projecting therefrom, the diameters of said joining bores being greater than the diameter of either length of wire, and means for attaching an article to said wires, carried at the projecting portions thereof.

2. In an adjustable hanger, an elongated body portion having an upper face, a second face at its lower end and a pair of bores, each bore comprising a section extending longitudinally of said body portion and a section extending downwardly and outwardly from the first section, the longitudinal axis of each joining bore section forming an obtuse angle, each bore opening into said upper face and said second face; a length of springy wire, having an upper bight section and two arcuate arm portions extending from said upper section, with said arm portions partly within said bores and in frictional contact with portions of the faces thereof, the free ends of said arm portions extending outwardly of said second face and said upper section extending outwardly of said upper face, the diameter of each of said bores being greater than the diameter of each of said arm portions so that sections of said arm portions within said bores are out of contact with the faces of said bores; and a separate means carried at the outwardly-extending sections of each of said arms for attaching an article to said arm portions.

3. In an adjustable hanger, an elongated body portion having an upper face, a downwardly and inwardly bevelled face at its lower end and a pair of bores, each bore opening into said upper face and said bevelled face; a length of springy wire, having an upper bight section and two arcuate arm portions extending from said upper section, with said arm portions partly within said bores and in frictional contact with portions of the faces thereof, the free ends of said arm portions extending outwardly of said bevelled face and said upper section extending outwardly of said upper face, the diameter of each of said bores being greater than the diameter of each of said arm portions so that sections ofsaid arm portions within said bores are out of contact with the faces of said bores; and a quick detachable means, carried by said upper section for attaching said upper portion to a support.

4. In an adjustable hanger for a plurality of articles, a substantiallycylindrical body portion, having an upper face and a bevelled area extending downwardly and inwardly from the periphery of said body portion, said body portion being provided with two spaced-apart bores, each comprising a longer bore section and a shorter bore sec- 7 tion with the axes of the two sections of each bore forming an angle greater than an acute angle, with one end of each bore opening into said upper face and the other end of each bore opening into said bevelled area, an arm of flexible material and having a substantially circular transverse cross section within each bore and extending from both ends of the bore; said arms being in frictional contact with spaced apart sections of the faces of said bores; and means carried by the lower end portions of said arms to attach articles thereto.

5. In an adjustable hangenan elongated body portion provided with a pair of longitudinallyextending bores and a pair of bores, one of the latter bores joining one of said longitudinallyextending bores and the other of the latter bores joining the other of said longitudinally-extending bores, the longitudinal axis of each of the joining bores forming an obtuse angle and the juncture of said joining bores forming a ridge; an arm of springy material extending through each joining bore, in frictional contact with portions of the faces thereof and said ridge and out of contact with other portions of the faces thereof, said arms extending outwardly from the lower mouths of said joining bores; and means carried by the lower ends of said arms to attach an article to said lower ends.

RUSSELL H. WEBSTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,996,552 Schwender Apr. 2, 1935 2,325,478 Collins July 27, 1943 784,070 Rhoads Mar. 7, 1905 1,937,646 Fletcher Dec. 5, 1933 2,052,457 French Aug. 25, 1936 2,279,760 Pease Apr. 1 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 277,478 Germany Aug. 18, 1914 

